Independence and Revolution Waving Above a Public Square in Hong Kong

On top of the Edinburgh Place Car Park looking out towards "The Grief of Us" protestor assembly last night

A Beatdown and a Blockade During Christmas in Hong Kong

As anticipated, there were large-scale protests yesterday in Hong Kong, and the protests continue today. I will post more about them later, including some of the ways they intermixed with the Christmas holiday spirit. For now, I will just share two photos I shared on Twitter recently along with the comments I made there.

I took the first photo not long before 2 a.m. this morning.

Man grabs a young woman's breast.
Crowd beats man.
Man pretends to be unconscious to avoid more pain.
Hong Kong's top riot police arrive.

The incident in Mong Kok didn't appear to have any direct connection to the protests, except that the large number of protestors around probably meant a more intense response, both from the protestors and the police. There is much more I can say and share regarding what happened, and perhaps that will happen as it touches on a number of issues. I will add that the only obvious involvement by the police was chasing away protestors in the area which enabled an ambulance to safely take the man away. I was told the young woman didn't wish to formally report the man. She did not trust the police would handle the matter fairly, which says a lot about how some people in Hong Kong view the police these days.

The second photo was taken several hours later.

If you thought that the protests in Hong Kong would be over by 5am today, you'd be wrong.

The photo was taken at Nathan Road also in Mong Kok. This certainly isn't the most remarkable photo I took of the recent protests, especially since they were far more intense earlier. But the scene is notable because the protests appeared to be lasting longer into the morning than some other protests that occurred in Mong Kok during the past couple of months.

Anticipating a Lively Christmas in Hong Kong

Compared to November, the protests in Hong Kong have been relatively calm lately. However, they continue, and there are signs they will soon intensify.

It could be a rather eventful Christmas in Hong Kong. 

Another Night in Hong Kong: Outside the Lai Chi Kok Reception (Detention) Centre

There were thousands. They were loud.

Perhaps the detained protestors in Lai Chi Kok heard them.

Photographing a Fisher and a Photographer at Victoria Harbour

He only had a line, yet he fished. He only had a camera, yet he photographed.

At Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Buses with The Force

Four years ago I shared photos of displays with a Christmas touch promoting the release of Disney's Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the IAPM shopping center in Shanghai. I haven't seen anything as grandiose in Hong Kong for this year's release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Perhaps that is just because I haven't actively looked for anything. In any case, the best I can do now is to share photos of some of the buses I have seen in Hong Kong with advertising for the movie.

Given my previous interest in advertising on Hong Kong trams, I will keep an eye out for any Star Wars trams. No luck yet though.

Still Tilted in Hong Kong

The recent signs of protest have changed and lately are mostly removed. But some remain.

O Fortuna, the Wheel Brings Another Message

First there were ballerinas with umbrellas above "Free HK".  Then there was blackness. Now, there is a different message.

The "Stop Police Brutality" graffiti is on a number of beams on a pedestrian bridge connecting to the Central Piers in Hong Kong. In all of the examples I saw, they were placed directly on top of areas that had been painted black to cover previous graffiti.

It is now the predominant graffiti design on the bridge, though there is at least one example of partially symbolic graffiti expressing the protest slogan "Five Demands, Not One Less".

However, there appeared to be more examples of untouched painted-black areas than of recent graffiti. This is consistent with what I have seen in various parts of Hong Kong, whether Central, Tsing Yi, or Yau Tsim Mong. Newer protest graffiti, posters, and other forms of visible expression continue to replace older ones, but overall there is far less now compared to a few weeks ago.

And the wheel keeps turning . . . 

The Good Shop in Hong Kong

As one of Hong Kong's major shopping districts, you won't have problems finding a variety of items for sale in Causeway Bay. But if you simply want something good, there is a place on Lockhart Road to check out.

On the day I passed, items ranging from maneki-neko (Japanese lucky cat) figurines to stuffed toy carrots to sim cards. Perhaps the selection will change in the future, but it should still be good.

The Large Size of Hong Kong's Latest Protest March Captured in Tweets

After six months of protests, yesterday hundreds of thousands of protestors attended one of Hong Kong's largest recent marches:

Demonstrators returned in force, packing city streets to denounce [China's leader Xi Jingping's] government, rail against police brutality and reiterate demands for greater civil liberties, including universal suffrage. They beat drums, sang protest anthems and chanted, “Fight for freedom.” Though the march was largely peaceful, some demonstrators vandalized shops and restaurants and lit a fire outside the high court.

“We want Hong Kong to continue being Hong Kong,” said Alice Wong, 24, a biology researcher who stood among protesters gathered at Victoria Park. “We don’t want to become like China.”

As many as 800,000 people attended the march, according to Civil Human Rights Front, an advocacy group that organized the gathering.

The mood at the march was relaxed, with people taking selfies against a backdrop of the vast crowds. Children, some dressed in black, marched with their parents, holding hands as they shouted, “Stand with Hong Kong!”

I had expected that I would now be able to share photographs I had taken at the march. Unfortunately, a painful foot sprain kept me away from it. So instead, below is a series of tweets by a variety of people presented in the order they were tweeted. A few tweets hint at other aspects of the rally, but mostly they help provide a sense of the large number of protestors and their intensity.

The CHRF Human Rights Day march from Victoria Park to Chater Garden yet to kick off but Hennessy Road is already full of people #HongKongProstest pic.twitter.com/Wu5NoDW091

— Aria Chen (@ariahychen) December 8, 2019

Thousands of black-clad protesters from all walks of life start marching from Victoria Park calling for the government to response to the 5 demands, including democracy and setting up an independent inquiry committee. #antielab #hongkongprotests pic.twitter.com/I5iwNBrkh3

— Jessie Pang (@JessiePang0125) December 8, 2019

Holy shit, this is the view at Causeway Bay! It's a total gridlock on the march to Central. There's so many people everyone's only able to take a few steps a minute. Imagine being in the middle and you gotta pee#StandWithHongKong #HongKongProtests pic.twitter.com/kyEsKnC3a5

— woppa 🎗😷 (@Woppa1Woppa) December 8, 2019

#NOW #HongKong - 6 months on, HongKongers are still here.
Hundreds of thousands of #HongKongProtesters attending Human Rights Day rally organized by @chrf_hk right now. All six lanes filled with sea of black. #HongKongProtests pic.twitter.com/ClaN59sU9D

— Phoebe Kong 江穎怡 (@phoebe_kongwy) December 8, 2019

6 months into the protests (we were counting weeks initially), HongKongers are not giving in, showing in huge numbers for today protest organized by @chrf_hk . I believe today is another "million march" in Hong Kong. pic.twitter.com/8jHM2HWu3r

— LO Kin-hei 羅健熙 (@lokinhei) December 8, 2019

The crowd in causeway bay is moving very slowly pic.twitter.com/ToS1D5PvfH

— Aria Chen (@ariahychen) December 8, 2019

Here’s your majority, Carrie Lam. #standwithhk #sixmonths pic.twitter.com/CYAtYexhwP

— Denise Ho (HOCC) (@hoccgoomusic) December 8, 2019

The march just behind the front passing police HQ in Admiralty. There are so many protesters that tens of thousands were actually marching in front of the official front. This march now stretches several km from here back to Causeway Bay. pic.twitter.com/7fgUbrBZ6d

— Kong Tsung-gan / 江松澗 (@KongTsungGan) December 8, 2019

six months ago, there weren’t the “five demands,” and most wouldn’t have worn face masks to a peaceful march. so much has changed and we’ve swapped our black tees for dark jackets, but hongkongers are still here pic.twitter.com/5xKSLsdj4D

— karen cheung (@karenklcheung) December 8, 2019

Absolutely mind-blowing turnout for today’s march. The front of the march is about 4 subway stops from here. #HongKongProtests pic.twitter.com/XVoQQDvBIx

— Laurel Chor (@laurelchor) December 8, 2019

Moments of hopefulness and solidarity like these remind me of what I love most about Hongkongers and home. I just feel so proud and empowered. #HKProtests #antielab #HumanRightsDay #HongKongProtests pic.twitter.com/9SyRB4bMMi

— Jessie Lau (@_laujessie) December 8, 2019

Protesters urge eachother to retreat as the water cannon truck is spotted in Central. #hongkong #hongkongprotests #antiELAB #china The atmosphere at the endpoint remains tense but peaceful. pic.twitter.com/MmcjUd5yj9

— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) December 8, 2019

This kid is so casual performing Hong Kong’s pro-democracy anthem 💁🏻‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/sStZk31T1w

— Rachel Blundy (@rachelblundy) December 8, 2019

Despite tens of thousands having completed the march and left at Central, the Causeway Bay section of Hennessy Road remains packed at 5:20pm.

Photo: iCable screenshot. #hongkong pic.twitter.com/BKb8bsC7GP

— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) December 8, 2019

The drum circle makes its way past the Bank of China building and into Central. pic.twitter.com/8VUNWbjhcV

— Timothy McLaughlin (@TMclaughlin3) December 8, 2019

Lights out as the sun sets pic.twitter.com/AniV3ZPsOR

— Pak Yiu (@pakwayne) December 8, 2019

Nearly four and a half hour after the march started the streets of Hong Kong are still jammed with protesters. pic.twitter.com/wG9iiqv0yS

— Timothy McLaughlin (@TMclaughlin3) December 8, 2019

Police are clearing barricades and reopening roads in Central. Most protesters have left. #hongkong #hongkongprotests #antiELAB #china pic.twitter.com/99G5tdYyl3

— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) December 8, 2019

Protecting the Traffic Control Boxes in Hong Kong

Several weeks ago around 3:30 A.M. on November 11, protestors lit an electrical traffic control box on fired on Nathan Road in Mong Kok, Hong Kong.

Many other traffic control boxes were decommissioned in one way or another during recent protests. This raises the question, "How does a city restore traffic control boxes while also not making them prone to similar repeat attacks?"

An attempt to address this question now exists at the intersection of Nathan Road with Kansu Street and Gascoigne Road in Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong.

I didn't see any obvious way to open the barred protection. This may be a strike against usability, but that's probably the point.

O Fortuna, Painted Over

The ballerina for freedom is no more.

But the wheel still turns . . .